Preparation
by The-Napoleon-Of-Crime
Summary: Rumpleteazer and Mungojerrie were assigned to monitor the Junkyard Tribe by their boss, The Hidden Paw. Unfortunately, the job description didn't mention the Jellicle Ball and Rumpleteazer cannot dance. Which admittedly leaves her in a bit of trouble.


**AN/**

 **This fic works from a background for the musical that I don't normally go with; Mac was banished from the tribe and recruited Teazer when she was young. She learned the cockney accent to go undercover and isn't at all related to Mungo.**

 **In terms of timeline, this is set quite a bit before the film since Mungo and Teazer are only new to the tribe.**

 **Not that any of it really matters; it's just a fluffy fic because Mac/Teazer is a pairing I've never really explored before.**

 **Nothing too serious - I couldn't write a serious fic over Christmas. Hope you enjoy, guys.**

* * *

The Hidden Paw found the Warehouse at a young age. The place had been abandoned for years and with three floors it was more than enough room for him to explore whenever he'd been feeling particularly anti-social. His brothers hadn't known about it, much less his father and Macavity had liked it that way. The Warehouse had stayed his own private haunt until the criminal aspect to his life really took off.

As he gained contacts and eventually henchcats Macavity had needed a place to gather them, his growing importance came at the cost of his own sanctuary and eventually he'd opened the doors to his personal hide-out. It became a business location. His headquarters and became home to a select number of his followers.

Despite his success, the Junkyard Cats he'd left behind when he'd been banished from their home remained a problem to him. Following numerous invasions and a surprise appearance or two, the ginger tom finally figured out a way to best his greatest enemy. His plan involved two agents; a pair of cheeky cats who had partnered together on one or two of his London-based schemes.

Rumpleteazer and Mungojerrie had been thrilled to go under-cover in the Junkyard; or at least they had been once he threatened their lives should they refuse. Two months in and he was already pleased with how things were progressing. They had gained the trust of the Jellicles fairly quickly, part of the cockney charm Macavity imagined. In fact, Mungojerrie spoke very highly of how Rumpleteazer had managed to befriend the toms and the queens, even those of a more suspicious nature.

Though the ginger tom had his own suspicions. While Macavity had yet to commit to a romantic relationship he knew quite a lot about how couples formed. And Mungojerrie was indeed smitten; only Macavity was yet to work out if the tom planned to make a move or not.

The top floor of the Warehouse consisted of a rather tired looking room. A desk was placed in front of the back wall, a chair sitting behind it. There was a dusty bookshelf standing alone against a half painted wall with a filing cabinet beside it. The cabinet now had one drawer permanently missing due to one of Macavity's famous outbursts. Griddlebone had tasked one of the younger agents with finding a couch for the room, which following a few weeks of searching resulted in the arrival of a black leather couch with supporting scratches across the cushions and holes along the back.

The ginger tom lounged in his chair with one paw outstretched, claws tapping impatiently on the desk as he watched Rumpleteazer climb the last step and begin the journey across to where he sat.

"I wasn't sure if you were here or not, figured I'd try my luck."

She was quite remarkable at accents, the trademark of a thief he supposed. Though it appeared she saved the cockney charm for the Junkyard Cats.

The ginger tom merely raised an eyebrow, as if saying "well here I am" without having to utter a syllable. If he were being entirely honest, he hadn't expected her today and especially not so late into the evening. The only cat that bothered him passed eight o'clock was Griddlebone and she made it a habit to bother him regardless of the time.

"How're things?"

"Perfectly fine, until company was forced upon me."

Despite being more than a little scared of the Hidden Paw, Rumpleteazer flashed him a cheeky grin that told him she didn't believe him. "Nobody forces _you_ into anything, Mac."

The lines between their relationship seemed eternally blurred. He'd known her since she was a kit, had taken her off the streets and turned her away from petty crime. But now she was a grown queen and had the confidence to really speak to him, to hold a conversation that lived passed formalities. Few cats were allowed more than a few minutes with him.

As his expression settled into a look of neutrality, Rumpleteazer wandered over the couch and plonked herself down with a heavy sigh. She'd been busy all day at the Junkyard, it was apparently the tribe's tradition to prepare for the Jellicle Ball weeks in advance. It seemed silly as they had so little to do, but the cats still found tasks where Rumpleteazer had been sure there were none.

"Just thought I'd come and see ya. The Jellicles are no fun at the moment, not with the Ball coming up. And Jerrie's taking it all so serious. I mean, not that I'm not." Teazer added a sheepish laugh and glanced down at her paws, suddenly feeling as though visiting the Hidden Paw had been mistake without deciding on what to say first.

When Macavity didn't respond, Rumpleteazer's shoulders slumped slightly into a more relaxed position and she took it as his way of allowing her to continue.

"It's just that it's all a bit… I dunno, if we mess it up then there is no way they'll let us stay. We're still on probation with some of the cats; Bombalurina was trying to get me to join the dance to your song today and Jellylorum kept staring at us."

Macavity leaned forward in his chair and idly tilted his head to one side, appearing to consider the information before he dismissed its importance. "The two of you know what will happen if the tribe ask you to leave."

It was a threat and yet it had sounded as though he was merely telling her that being out in the rain would leave her wet.

"I know that, boss."

Macavity studied her with a look of indifference for a moment, as though her being there was a mild inconvenience he was putting up with. He always appeared that way to her, but the ginger tom was very practised when it came to masking his emotions. "So what is really going on?"

Rumpleteazer blinked at him before regaining herself. "Bombs sure is pretty, Mungo can't stop going on about her. It's always Bombs said this, Bombs did-"

"Why are you here Rumpleteazer?" The ginger tom asked, a sharpness cutting into his tone. He could deal with her visits, he could even entertain speaking to her, but small talk was something he absolutely hated. It was a simple waste of his time.

"The Ball is in a few weeks."

"I'm quite aware."

The young queen pushed herself up from the couch and flung her arms dramatically, reminding Macavity of the kind of teenage tantrums younger cats were often prone to. "The Ball is a dancing Ball, Mac… dancing and singing."

"Rumpleteazer." His tone was warning now and Rumpleteazer turned to face him, standing only a short distance away from his desk.

"I can't dance, boss."

Silence shortly followed and Rumpleteazer frowned at the uninterested look on his face. "I mean, I can dance. If I wanted to, I suppose. I have rhythm and stuff but I've never been taught steps. Not like Bombs has… even Jerrie knows more than I do!"

Her little rant appeared to hold some importance to her and Macavity had made the mistake far too many times of dismissing the problem of a queen. Ignoring Griddlebone's little issues had ended in nothing but earache for days and it certainly wasn't worth the trouble.

So, if nothing but to save his own sanity, the ginger tom sighed and sat back comfortably once again. "Dancing is very simple, Rumpleteazer. I'm sure you'll pick it up on the night."

But the look on her face did not appear appreciative of his response and Macavity had to stifle another sigh. Young queens were so tiresome. "Ask Mungo to teach you some basic steps, then go to Demeter for the details. She'll have you in shape in no time."

It seemed like solid advice in the ginger tom's opinion. He didn't believe that just _any_ cat could dance but he trusted that she had rhythm at the very least, the rest could be taught by good tutors. And Demeter would no doubt be an impeccable tutor.

"I- I can't ask Mungo and I can't ask Deme without knowing some basic stuff!"

The ginger tom set his jaw and momentarily wondered how long the conversation had been going on for. It felt like hours. "And why are you incapable of asking young Mungojerrie?" He drawled.

"'Cause I kinda already said I could dance."

Her embarrassment was evident and the ginger tom chuckled to himself. Perhaps Mungojerrie wasn't the only one with a little crush. It was an unwritten rule of his to care as little as he could about the relationships of others but he couldn't help but take a small amount of interest, he'd known Rumpleteazer long enough to care now that she was developing adult interests.

He'd come to realise that she noticed attractive toms when toms came to notice her. It was just before the time that he himself had begun to truly _notice_ her. She was an attractive queen after all. Perhaps not his usual type, but attractive none the less. He'd never considered it much when she'd been younger as he'd been too intent on nurturing her talent, but now she was older he could appreciate her more obvious qualities.

"Well perhaps it will steer you clear from telling lies in the future, my dear." He sneered, earning a quiet growl of annoyance from the younger queen.

Macavity was a very tricky to personality to manage and Rumpleteazer often failed at saying the correct thing to him, but she'd learned enough over the years to know that he appreciated directness. The stalling she'd attempted thus far hadn't gotten her anywhere at all, so she took a deep breath and rested her paws on her hips.

"I figured that since you have a song you must have been at the Junkyard long enough to join in with one of these Ball thingy's… which must mean that you can dance…"

Macavity's eyebrows raised as his lips twisted into a smirk. She'd peaked his interest now.

"And since this is a job you set me and you won't want it to get messed up I figured you could help… maybe."

Her shoulders shrugged ever so slightly, but she remained still in front of his desk. It had taken a lot to come to Macavity of all cats for advice on dancing. The Jellicles didn't really talk much about the ginger tom so Rumpleteazer wasn't sure how much experience he had, but she expected it would be enough for her to take along to Demeter.

"You must be very desperate." He commented snidely, very clearly enjoying her discomfort.

Rumpleteazer allowed her lips to form a slight pout and she held herself back from saying anything else to him. Macavity was very firm in terms of what he would and wouldn't do, so she knew she'd have to let him make his decision. Sometimes he would be nice and go along with requests, but whenever he was feeling particularly nasty he liked to watch cats squirm and offer no assistance.

The ginger tom took a minute to enjoy her suspense before he stood up and slowly made his way over to where she stood, mindful of the fact that he hadn't danced in years and definitely had never taught dance. Despite having little experience, the ginger tom was smug as he approached the young queen and reached out for her paw.

"Be nice," Rumpleteazer insisted, before dropping her pout and taking hold of his paw. She allowed him to bring her closer to him, and waited until he rested his paw on her waist before she placed hers onto his upper arm.

"I'm assuming you know a basic waltz." The ginger tom informed her, then tugged her even closer to him with an impatient grumble. "Leading with the left."

As the ginger tom stepped forward, Rumpleteazer stepped back and Macavity had half a mind to congratulate her there and then. But sensing her concentration, the ginger tom stepped out to the left and found she followed him after a short delay. "Stop overthinking it. Just follow me." He told her firmly, before stepping back to see if she could continue with his advice.

"I'm trying not to stand on you," She muttered, but after feeling a sharp squeeze on her paw she looked up at his face and realised she hadn't looked at him since they'd begun. "Sorry."

It took a short while for her to feel at ease with the steps, but once he had her travelling around the room Macavity was able to introduce a couple of slow spins. The spins were a tad awkward, but she was clearly a natural dancer which made teaching her much easier. After a dancing for a while in silence, Rumpleteazer chose to spoil it.

"I don't think the waltz is their dance of choice, y'know."

As soon as she spoke, Macavity came to a stop and dipped her to earn a surprised squeal from the young queen's lips. He held onto her and ensured he shot her a direct frown, then he pulled her back up to an upright position.

"I'm quite aware. I merely thought that starting off with a tap section would be a tad cruel."

Rumpleteazer laughed lightly, well aware that she was still quite comfortable in his arms as she grinned at him. "You? Choosing to be anything other than cruel?"

Macavity gripped her waist with his paw and smirked at the small noise of surprise that passed her lips, though she made no effort to distance herself from him. "I'm teaching you to waltz, aren't I?"

Rumpleteazer ducked her head a little to shield her face from him until she composed herself, remembering just who he was and how humiliating this experience should be. The last thing she'd expected was that she'd e _njoy_ dancing with Macavity.

"Leading with the left, then," She urged, raising her head to look him in the eye once again. She'd been trying to avoid his gaze while they'd been moving but had soon found it that it was much easier when she did look at him. The only flaw being that when she looked at him she found that it was hard to stop.

The ginger tom tugged slightly on the paw he was holding and it caused Rumpleteazer to correct her posture, she'd watched his enough to know that anything less than perfect simply would not do. Once he felt she was ready, he moved off again and before long had her twirling around the room.

She began to smile as she relaxed into him, forgetting about counting the steps as they went or holding onto a certain concentration while he was looking at her. Their second dance flowed better, felt far more natural than the first and while Macavity looked entirely stoic the whole way around the room Rumpleteazer had a feeling he was enjoying himself.

"Y'know, we don't have any mu-"

Before she could finish her sentence, an arm slipped down to catch the back of her legs and suddenly she was being hoisted up into his arms and spun on the spot. Rumpleteazer wrapped an arm around his neck and laughed lightly, "I'm dizzy! Stop!"

He spun her for a while longer then slowly lowered her to the ground, a look of distinct superiority on his face all the while. Rumpleteazer planted her paws on his shoulders to keep herself still while the dizzy feeling subsided and in return Macavity's arms wound around her waist, keeping their bodies flush together.

It was the closest she'd ever been to him in all the years they had known each other. Closer than they'd been each time he'd hit her and called her useless. Rumpleteazer found she quite liked the proximity.

"I said be nice." She growled, winding her arms around his neck with an ease that hadn't been present before.

"The Jellicles like to lift and spin. You were complaining about the waltz." Macavity reminded her smugly, "I was just introducing you to something new."

The young queen took a deep breath and raised her eyebrows at him challengingly. "Go on then, _boss._ What else can you show me?"


End file.
